Games to Teach Kids About Rounding Numbers

How to Help Your Child Understand Rounding Numbers

Rounding is a real-world skill that makes numbers easier to work with mentally. In third grade, your child will begin learning how to round numbers to the nearest ten and nearest hundred. Rounding is a foundational skill that will become increasingly difficult in later grades if not mastered at this level. Help your child round numbers successfully by playing these fun games!

Round It!

All you need is a deck of cards for this mathematical game. After removing the face cards from the deck, turn the cards over into one stack in the middle of the table. Taking turns, each player will turn over two cards to form a 2-digit number.

For example, if a four and an eight are drawn, the number created would be 48. The player would then round the 2-digit number to the nearest ten. The player with the highest rounded number takes all the cards for that round of play. At the end of the game, the player with the most cards wins!

Where Does It Go?

Before beginning this game, label index cards with 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 and lay them out in front of your child. Write a number on a post-it note, and tell your child to attach the post-it note to the correct hundred card. For instance, if you write the number 225, your child would attach the post-it note to the 200 card. This shows that your child can accurately round to the nearest hundred.

This rounding game can also be played with tens instead of hundreds. If your child is more advanced you may want to include both tens and hundreds cards in the game. Remember, this will require your child to know whether he or she should round to the nearest ten or nearest hundred.

One More Step

For this game, you will need a set of basic addition flashcards. Using the flashcards, have your child complete an addition problem. To incorporate rounding into this activity, ask your child to round the sum to the nearest ten.

Alter this activity by using subtraction flashcards instead. This game should help your child realize the difference between an exact answer and a rounded answer. Discuss with your child how to determine whether a rounded answer or an exact answer is appropriate.